


you in viewfinder

by violetcity



Category: Stray Kids (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Confessions, Fluff, M/M, Photographer Kim Seungmin, Skater Boy Changbin, minor hyunsung and eric/felix and implied woomin bc its my fic and i said so, thats it thats the fic, too many convenience store and skate park scenes
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-22
Updated: 2019-10-22
Packaged: 2020-12-24 16:41:23
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 11,204
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21102653
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/violetcity/pseuds/violetcity
Summary: The convenience store at the corner is bad for both Seungmin's wallet and his heart.





	you in viewfinder

**Author's Note:**

> okay so! this is for the first round of the skz post office fic fest! i had prompt #43: high school skater au! 
> 
> told myself i wouldn't write another high school au but here we are. i really couldn't resist this trope and it just so happens i was talking about skater changbin the day before prompts were released. 
> 
> to the prompter: i don't think i was quite able to capture the aesthetic you had in mind but i hope you like it! 
> 
> title taken from svt's snap shoot!

If Seungmin was more into caring about signs from the universe or other semi-supernatural things, he might think the rhythmic blinking of the fluorescent light above him is the universe laughing at him. All he really thinks is that it’s annoying. 

Currently, he’s ducked down between one of the chip displays and the drink coolers in the convenience store. Chan—Seungmin thinks the clerk’s name is—is most definitely wondering what’s going on but Seungmin’s too embarrassed at this point to act normally. 

He fishes his phone out of the back pocket of his jeans and pulls up the messaging app. 

The last message in the most recent conversation is from Hyunjin. A smiley face and _ see you soon _ written in the white text box. The timestamp says it was sent over an hour ago. He hasn’t been waiting for Hyunjin for that long, but it has been long enough. 

Seungmin is about to flick through his contacts for Hyunjin’s number to call him when the little electronic bell at the front of the store dings, signaling that someone has stepped inside. He peeks out from behind the display to find Hyunjin walking through the door with a shorter, unfamiliar boy, trailing behind him. 

Seungmin stands, not daring to look in Chan’s direction knowing he probably thinks Seungmin is weird now, and grabs a couple of chip bags from the display. The crinkle of the bags is enough to get Hyunjin’s attention and he lights up almost immediately. 

“Seungmin!” Hyunjin calls across the store, almost as if he were trying to get Seungmin’s attention from across an open field and not a tiny corner store. He waves too, and Seungmin can’t help but smile back. 

“I hope you weren’t waiting too long. I got caught up at the skatepark,” Hyunjin says, quieter this time as Seungmin walks closer. Seungmin hadn’t noticed it before but both Hyunjin and the boy who followed him in have skateboards under their arms. 

“That’s okay,” Seungmin assures and shoves a couple of chips bags into Hyunjin’s free hand, “Take these.” 

Hyunjin takes them with ease, adjusting everything in his arms so that he’s carrying it all comfortably. There’s a beat of silence and then the sound of someone clearing their throat. Hyunjin visibly startles. 

“Oh, right!” He says, eyes wide. He gestures as best he can to the boy beside him and says, “This is Changbin.” He tilts his head towards Seungmin. “Changbin, that’s Seungmin.” 

Changbin is shorter than Seungmin too but he’s got a half-lidded gaze that partly makes Seungmin want to curl in on himself. That, and he’s wearing a button-up white shirt with Nation Prep’s crest embroidered on it. The students at that school have never been much of Seungmin’s crowd. It doesn’t help that all Changbin says in greeting is, “Hey, nerd.” 

Seungmin exchanges a glance with Hyunjin and watches as Hyunjin raises his eyebrows and elbows Changbin straight in the side. 

“Hey!” Changbin protests, almost doubling over as he clutches at his side. Even at this angle, Seungmin can see the slow, lopsided smile that begins to spread across Changbin’s face. When he straightens up again, he’s just shy of beaming, eyes turned to crescents. Seungmin can’t help but notice the way Changbin’s cheeks puff out. “I’m kidding! Hyunjin told me you guys were going to study for chemistry.” The last part is directed at Seungmin. 

Changbin holds out a fist, as if in apology, and Seungmin knocks his own fist against it. Changbin is cute, he thinks. 

“Speaking of which,” Hyunjin interrupts. “We should get going.” 

Outside, Seungmin can see the bright pink and orange that begins to sneak into the horizon. They’re cutting it close if they want to make it back to Seungmin’s house before dark. They toss the chip bags onto the counter and wait while Chan rings them up. Seungmin ends up having just enough cash in his wallet to cover the whole thing, despite Hyunjin’s protests.  
  
“You bought snacks last time. It’s my turn,” He says, bumping Hyunjin out of the way with his hips. He’s almost sure Chan is tired of watching them have this same conversation every time Thursdays roll around. They’re closing in on being three months into the school year by now and Seungmin and Hyunjin have been studying together for chemistry once a week for the past two. 

Changbin watches the entire thing with a small smirk and a few raised eyebrow glances exchanged with Chan. 

Fist bumps are once again exchanged between Changbin and Hyunjin and to Seungmin’s surprise, himself and Changbin. Hyunjin says something about seeing Changbin over the weekend and then Changbin is turning to Seungmin, the same lopsided smile from earlier on his lips again. “I’ll see you around, Seungmin.” 

“Yeah, see you around,” Seungmin responds quietly. 

Changbin stays behind, leaning against the counter and talking animatedly with Chan as Hyunjin and Seungmin exit the store, little bell above the door wishing them goodbye. 

“I didn’t know you knew anyone from Nation Prep,” Seungmin says, once they’re across the street and Hyunjin has fallen into step beside him. 

It’s not like Nation Prep is it’s own world or anything, just that Seungmin doesn’t actually know much about it. It’s tuition-based, too much for Seungmin’s mom to cover, and Seungmin had thought about applying for a scholarship but he wasn’t sure if his grades were good enough for a full ride. At this point, Seungmin has kind of already assumed that Changbin is either smart or rich. 

“He’s Jisung’s friend,” Hyunjin replies, shrugging. 

“Oh,” Seungmin says, though it’s more like a sound of acknowledgment than an actual word. Hyunjin has mentioned Jisung before. One of the boys in Hyunjin’s English class or something like that. He’s been teaching Hyunjin how to skateboard apparently. 

“Yeah,” Hyunjin continues, “Jisung said he’d probably be a better teacher so he’s been coming to the skatepark with us after school.” 

Seungmin wouldn’t say he knows Hyunjin exceptionally well, considering Seungmin is new in town and they’ve only known each other for three months, but he’s almost positive that Hyunjin sounds a little disappointed. There’s a little part of him that thinks there might be a little more to Hyunjin’s relationship with Jisung than Hyunjin cares to admit. But Seungmin doesn’t want to push it so he just hums in response. 

Eventually, Seungmin’s curiosity gets the better of him, when they’re climbing the stairs to Seungmin’s room and he can’t stop himself from asking, “What’s Changbin like?” 

Hyunjin stops climbing, causing Seungmin to run right into his back and he grips the handrailing to keep from falling backward. For a moment, he thinks Hyunjin must be annoyed by him bringing up Changbin again but then, Hyunjin looks over his shoulder with a knowing smile. If they weren’t in earshot of Seungmin’s mom in the living room, Seungmin would probably tell Hyunjin to fuck off. Instead, he pushes against Hyunjin’s back until they’re all the way up the stairs. 

Giggling, Hyunjin falls face-first onto Seungmin’s bed and drops the plastic bag from the convenience store to the floor. Seungmin shuts his bedroom door behind them. 

“You thought he was cute,” Hyunjin accuses before Seungmin even has a chance to say anything. His voice is slightly muffled from where his face is pressed to the comforter on Seungmin’s bed. 

“No, I didn’t,” Seungmin shoots back as he settles into his desk chair. He grapples with a way to explain his curiosity. “I just thought that if he’s good enough to teach your clumsy ass how to skateboard then he’s probably pretty good himself. I’ve got that project for photography coming up and I think it would be pretty cool to have some action shots is all.” 

The words tumble out of Seungmin’s mouth without much thought but once he’s finished, he realizes it’s actually not a bad idea. He really does have a project for his photography class and trying to get pictures of some of the local kids skateboarding would be pretty good practice. 

“Oh,” Hyunjin says, flipping over to his back so he can see Seungmin’s face. And then, out of everything he could possibly do, he pouts. “I’m not clumsy.” 

Seungmin throws his head back against his chair and laughs. “Whatever helps you sleep at night.” He spins in his chair and opens his laptop. “Now, get your textbook out or we’re both going to fail this test tomorrow.” 

\----------

The next time Seungmin sees Changbin, it isn’t on purpose like he had planned it to be. 

Hyunjin, surprisingly, had thought the photography project idea was great. Seungmin was going to wait with Hyunjin after school the next time his group planned on going to the skatepark so that Seungmin could ask _all _of them if they were okay with having him there to take pictures. But of course, nothing ever works out as planned for Seungmin. 

The convenience store at the corner of his street is dangerous for his wallet, not only on the days he and Hyunjin meet there before they go to study. It’s also dangerous at ten at night when Seungmin is cramming for a calculus exam and barely ate dinner because he was stressed. 

He gives up halfway through an integral problem he’s tried to solve three times before and tosses his pencil onto his desk. His mom is most definitely asleep by now and it isn’t exactly _hard _to sneak out of their house. Moving into a fairly new neighborhood means there are no squeaky floorboards to accidentally step on when leaving. Calculus is going to kill him tomorrow anyway, he decides, so rules and wallet be damned. 

It takes him approximately five minutes to make it to the corner store. There’s a different clerk behind the counter tonight. Seungmin doesn’t know if he’s a new hire or if he’s just never been able to remember the guy through the late-night haze. He gives the clerk a half-smile anyway as he steps through the door. 

Seungmin wouldn’t say he spends a _ ton _of time at the corner store but he does spend enough to be off-put by the voices that cut through the usual hum off the lights and drink coolers. 

The group is in the back corner, where Seungmin hid the other day, and he immediately spots a familiar head of blond hair, tied back tonight by a black headband. Seungmin doesn’t know what it is about the lights in the store but they always make Chan’s hair seem _so bright. _

He can’t tell who the other three boys with Chan are since their backs are to him, but he isn’t quite in the mood for introductions tonight. He’s about to reach for the closest candy in the first aisle when a gravelly voice comes from behind him. 

“Hey, Seungmin, right?” 

Seungmin accidentally drops the Skittles pack in his hand in the midst of turning around. A hand lands on his shoulder, steadying him as he turns, and Seungmin is suddenly face-to-face with Changbin. 

“Sorry,” Changbin says, but his lips are curled in as if trying to hold back a laugh. “Couldn’t sleep?” 

Seungmin furrows his eyebrows for a second, not quite understanding what Changbin is saying. And then, he remembers that he’s wearing an old pair of flannel pants he got as a present a couple of Christmases ago. Not exactly the most flattering thing. 

“I was studying,” Seungmin explains before reaching down to pick up the dropped Skittles. He puts the pack back on the shelf. Changbin’s friends are still talking lowly on one of the other aisles and it doesn’t seem like Changbin is in any hurry to get back to them. 

“What were you studying?” Changbin asks. He leans back against the shelf on the other side of the aisle. He’s got another Nation Prep uniform shirt on today and Seungmin finds himself wondering if Changbin actually skates in it or if he’s just got it on because the nights are starting to get cold. 

Seungmin sighs. “Calculus.” 

Changbin’s eyes shift, taking in a little more light and he seems to stand a little straighter, even though he’s still leaning against the shelf. “What concept is it? Tell me about the problem.” 

Seungmin does, reciting the integral problem from his textbook. He’s memorized it from rewriting it so many times. Changbin takes a moment, eyes looking to the ceiling and fingers drawing in the air before switching his attention back to Seungmin. 

Changbin rattles off a series of numbers and something about cosine and Seungmin stares, open-mouthed at him. The majority of what he just said goes in one ear and out the other. “What?” 

Changbin pushes off the shelf behind him with his foot and reaches for Seungmin’s wrist. Before Seungmin can even figure out what’s going on, he’s being dragged down the aisle towards the front counter. Changbin stops them both in front of it and grabs one of the pens used for signing receipts. The clerk looks at him curiously. 

“Woojin, I need a piece of paper,” Changbin says. 

Now, Seungmin at least has a name to put with the face of the clerk. Woojin and Chan are the only two he ever sees working here so he thinks he’s doing pretty good in terms of learning his neighbor’s names. Even if it’s three months late. 

“Okay, look,” Changbin says, accepting a small square of paper from Woojin and snapping Seungmin out of his thoughts. 

Seungmin watches as Changbin quickly scribbles out the problem and then the answer underneath. It takes him only five minutes to explain the steps in a way Seungmin understands and Seungmin finds himself wishing Changbin was actually in the same calculus class as him. Maybe then he wouldn’t be up all night studying. The next thought he has is that Changbin is cute _and_ smart and that’s just entirely unfair. 

“I’m so glad I never have to take another math class again,” Woojin comments idly.

“God, I wish that were me,” Seungmin replies and beside him, Changbin laughs, almost messing up the integral rule he’s writing out for Seungmin on the paper. 

“Hey,” Changbin says, bumping his hip against Seungmin’s, “It’s not _that _bad. Here’s my number. You can just call me if you need any more help, okay?” He writes out his phone number at the bottom of the paper, in much neater handwriting than the rest of the page. 

Seungmin can already feel the heat creeping up the back of his neck and across his cheeks. He takes the paper from Changbin and folds it neatly so that it slides into the pocket of his pants alongside his wallet. Changbin tosses the pen back onto the counter. 

For a moment, it looks like Changbin is going to say something else, but then his name is called from across the store. 

“Dude, what do you want to drink”? One of the other boys pops out from behind the middle aisle shelves. His hair is blond too, but much darker than Chan’s bleached curls and a lot longer. He catches sight of Seungmin and smiles, heart-shaped and full of teeth. “You’re Seungmin! I’m Jisung!” 

Seungmin smiles back then. Yeah, this seems like Jisung the way Hyunjin described him. “Oh, you’re teaching Hyunjin how to skateboard, right? He talks about you a lot.” Seungmin says because it’s definitely not a lie.   
  
Jisung’s eyes go wide. “He talks about me?” He asks, incredulously. Seungmin is definitely filing this away to tease Hyunjin for later. Maybe he can finally convince Hyunjin to just ask Jisung out already. 

“He probably talks about how annoying you are,” Changbin says, no bite behind his words. Jisung flips him off. 

“Jisung! What does Changbin want?” A deep voice calls back from the corner of the store. A smile spreads across Jisung’s face but it’s got something behind it. Plotting. 

“Oh no, you don’t.” Changbin points a finger at Jisung. “I’ll be right back,” He says before racing Jisung back to their friends. “Felix, don’t listen to Jisung! I don’t want one of Chan’s nasty ass sparkling water drinks!” 

Seungmin exchanges a look with Woojin. “Are they always like this?” 

“Unfortunately,” Woojin answers, sounding tired but the fond smile on his lips betrays him. 

The four eventually come up from the back of the store, arms full of drinks and snacks. Seungmin stands awkwardly to the side while they pay. 

“I’ll see you around at school!” Jisung calls over his shoulder as he follows Chan and the other boy, whose name he assumes to be Felix, out the door. 

Changbin trails after them, slower, and pauses before he reaches the door. “Bye, nerd.” He tosses something in the air towards Seungmin. When Seungmin catches it and opens his hand, the red Skittles pack is staring back at him. 

\----------

“Are you sure Jisung is okay with me tagging along?” 

Hyunjin shuts his locker and looks Seungmin in the eyes. “Yes. I barely even had to ask before he was saying yes.” 

Seungmin had seen Changbin and his friends at the convenience store Monday night and it’s Thursday now. In the two and a half days since Seungmin hadn’t stopped thinking about Changbin. Once or twice he thought about texting Changbin to thank him for the Skittles but he wasn’t sure if that was okay. 

Instead, he had just complained about it until Hyunjin brought up the photography project again. They didn’t have anything important coming up for chemistry so they agreed to forgo studying together so that Seungmin could tag along to the skatepark. And Jisung had agreed to drive him since Seungmin usually walked to and from school. 

Seungmin opens his own locker, reaching for his camera bag. He mostly just wants to observe today, to see where the best places to sit are, and who he should focus the majority of his pictures on. It’s sunny outside, though, so he may as well get a couple of test shots. 

“I think you’ve already met or at least know of everyone that’s usually there,” Hyunjin says as they weave through the after-school crowd heading to the student parking lot. “Jisung and Changbin, who you’ve already spoken to. Chan won’t be there today because he has to work. Felix might be there—he was the _ other _blond kid with Changbin the other night—if his boyfriend doesn’t have a soccer game today.” 

They finally emerge from the crowd, through the double doors at the end of the hallway, and into the bright sun outside. Seungmin brings a hand up to try and block it as he scans the parking lot for Jisung’s car, or rather just Jisung since he doesn’t know what Jisung’s car even looks like. 

“Jisung forgot about parking pass pickups so now he has to park in the Pit. Come on, he’s this way.” 

The Pit, as Hyunjin calls it, is down the hill on campus, near the soccer field. It’s just an unpaved, gravel parking area that is mostly cleared out by the time they get there. Jisung’s car is one of the few left, towards the back of the lot, and Hyunjin yells across it when they finally spot him. 

“Hey loser,” Jisung says as they approach, popping the trunk for Hyunjin to put his board in. Jisung then turns to Seungmin and smiles wide, just like that night in the store. “Seungmin! I almost didn’t believe Hyunjin when he said you wanted to photograph us.” 

“What makes you say that?” Seungmin asks, tossing his bag in the back with Hyunjin’s skateboard. 

“I don’t know,” Jisung screws his eyebrows up like he’s trying to think about the reason. “It just doesn’t seem like your type of place, you know?” 

Seungmin doesn’t know if he should be offended by that or just curious. Jisung doesn’t _seem _like he means for it to be taken as anything other than just a simple observation and it’s not like Seungmin can disagree. The skatepark isn’t his type of place or his usual subject of photography. “Yeah, that’s fair.” 

Jisung laughs. “I was kind of expecting you to try to defend yourself. God knows Hyunjin did when I first told him it didn’t seem like his place either. Who knows, maybe you’ll fit right in like Hyunjin did!” 

Seungmin doesn’t miss the way Hyunjin’s face flushes from what Seungmin assumes to be the compliment from Jisung. Jisung, on the other hand, just closes the trunk and wipes his hand on his pants. They’re both oblivious, Seungmin thinks. 

The ride to the skatepark further cements this fact in Seungmin’s mind. Hyunjin and Jisung bicker the _entire _way there. There’s no bite to either of their words, but they sound like middle schoolers who don’t know how to express their feelings. From where he’s sitting in the backseat, Seungmin catches a couple of moments when they’re bickering over the radio, both their hands hovering around the controls but never quite getting close enough to touch each other. It’s kind of funny if Seungmin is being honest.

When they finally get to the skatepark across town, the bickering between Jisung and Hyunjin dies out, as if they’ve agreed to confine their disagreements to the car _ only. _

The skatepark is seemingly empty when Jisung leads them over until a two heads pop up above the side of one of the pipes. Seungmin has just enough time to recognize Changbin and Felix before they disappear again. 

Beside him, Jisung says, “The fact that the prep school gets out before us is unfair. They always beat me here.” 

“Felix goes to Nation Prep, too?” Seungmin asks.

“Yeah, thought you knew.” 

“Hyunjin said Felix’s boyfriend plays soccer. I didn’t think they had enough students for sports teams.” 

“_ Oh, _yeah they don’t. Felix’s boyfriend goes to our school.” 

Seungmin is about to ask his name when he’s interrupted, again, by Changbin’s voice from behind him. One more time, Seungmin thinks, and he’s going to just assume this is going to be a regular thing. 

“Hey, nerd,” Changbin says, a little out of breath. He slings an arm around Seungmin’s shoulders. More like _ tries _to put an arm around Seungmin’s shoulders. Seungmin is taller. “How’d the calculus test go?” 

“Are you always going to call me nerd?” Seungmin questions, squatting down a little to accommodate Changbin. 

“Yep,” Changbin says, popping the ‘p’. “Answer the question.” 

Seungmin hums. He didn’t do terribly on his test—he got an A actually—but he kind of wants to see how far he can push this with Changbin. It’s fun. “You know, I think you’re more of a nerd than I am. You do go to a prep school.” 

“It’s closer to my house,” Changbin shrugs, letting his arm slip off Seungmin’s shoulders. He steps in front of where Seungmin walking, trying to catch up to where the others have walked off to. “Calculus test.” 

Seungmin rolls his eyes. “I got a ninety-three. Be careful or I might steal your prep school spot,” He teases. 

“You can have it,” Changbin says. He smiles and steps out of the way with a sweep of his arm, allowing Seungmin to pass before falling into step beside him. “I helped some though, right?” 

“You did,” Seungmin laughs. 

Seungmin is about to say something else, about Changbin’s comment about the prep school but Felix is waving them both over. The other three are standing next to a raised section of concrete, between two different portions of the park. 

“This is probably the best place for you to sit if you want to be able to see all of us,” Felix says. “Bin and I are going to be messing around in the bowl over there.” He points to a carved out section of the ground that looks almost like an empty bean-shaped pool. “Jisung wants to teach Hyunjin how to go down the quarter pipe there.” He points to the other side of where they’re all standing. 

“Right in the middle,” Jisung says. 

“Make me look pretty,” Hyunjin calls over his shoulder as they split up. Seungmin doesn’t have to say that Hyunjin is already pretty, he thinks he hears Jisung mumble that as they leave. 

Eventually, Seungmin gives up on just sitting. He grabs his camera and paces around, taking test shots in different areas. The park is still empty other Hyunjin and his friends, so he can walk around freely without worrying about getting run over. 

He returns to his spot soon enough, having finally decided on camera settings, and focuses on taking some test shots of Hyunjin since he’s slower than Changbin and Felix are. It’s not that Hyunjin is bad, he’s gotten pretty far in the few weeks that Jisung has been teaching him, but he’s not flying all over the place just yet. 

He’s gotten a decent amount of shots and is looking through them when a shadow settles over him and Changbin is sitting down beside him. Seungmin offers him one of the water bottles Felix had bought earlier, and Changbin accepts it with a nod. For a moment, they’re silent, as Changbin drinks and the plastic of the bottle crinkles under his hand, but then Changbin asks, “What do you think?” 

“Well, for starters, Hyunjin isn’t nearly as clumsy as I thought he was,” Seungmin jokes. 

“He’s actually pretty good at it, isn’t he?” Changbin replies. 

At the same time, Hyunjin trips over his own feet at the bottom of the pipe and stumbles. Jisung’s hands come up quickly, gripping Hyunjin’s waist to steady him. Seungmin throws his head back and laughs, eyes squeezed shut against the sun. Against his eyelids, Seungmin recalls that night in the convenience store and Changbin’s arms around his waist, too. 

“Honestly,” Changbin continues through his own laughter, “Can’t be too sure that wasn’t on purpose.” 

Seungmin hums. “Fair point. Thought you were supposed to be helping Jisung teach?” 

Hyunjin and Jisung have returned to the top of the quarter pipe. Jisung is showing Hyunjin how to balance his board at the top: one foot holding the back half against the flat of the pipe, and the other half of the board hovering over the edge. 

“Jisung thought I would be a better teacher but it turns out they didn’t really need me. They speak each other’s language pretty well.” 

Seungmin is glad that he’s not the only one who’s picked up on that. Jisung says something, too far out of earshot for Seungmin to even get a couple of words, and then mimes pushing Hyunjin off the edge. Hyunjin yells, end of it laced with giggles, and then with one more motivational glance from Jisung, lets himself go over the edge, rolling gracefully down the side. 

Changbin pulls his attention away from Jisung and Hyunjin, instead turning his body so that he’s angled towards Seungmin. Their shoulders brush together and Seungmin’s mind momentarily blanks. He tries not to linger on it though since the last thing he needs is a crush on a Nation Prep boy that’s way out of his league. 

“Anyway,” Changbin says, breaking the silence that’s fallen over them, “I mean what do you think about your project? Going well?” 

“It’s definitely going to be harder than I thought,” Seungmin says, thinking of all the blurry pictures currently on his camera. “It’s not really what I’m used to but hopefully it turns out alright. You guys are really cool.” The last part slips out before Seungmin can stop himself but Changbin smiles brightly.

“Cool, huh?” Changbin asks, wiggling his eyebrows. 

“I take that back, you’re exempt from that statement.” 

“Okay, rude” Changbin says, faking offense and putting a hand over his heart. He pouts a little, which is almost enough for Seungmin to tease him further but then he points to Seungmin’s camera. “Can I see?” 

Seungmin knows he shouldn’t be nervous, it’s not like there’s anything other than skating pictures on his camera right now, but photography is a personal thing for him. Showing Changbin even the smallest bits of his work seems daunting. Usually, people only see his stuff after he’s had a chance to pick his favorites and edit them. Nevertheless, Seungmin agrees. 

“You’re probably going to have to scroll through a lot of really bad ones though. Most of them are most likely blurry,” He warns. 

“Seungmin,” Changbin says, placing his hand on top of the one Seungmin is using to offer his camera over, “I’m sure they’re great.” 

Seungmin’s heart shouldn’t flip in his chest but it does anyway. It’s such a small gesture, he knows this, but still, the anxiety fades. Changbin is _comfortable, _Seungmin realizes. 

Changbin clicks through the pictures and Seungmin watches over his shoulder. Every once in awhile a really blurry picture will pop up on the screen and Seungmin cringes, reminding himself to delete them later. He watches until Changbin gets to the pictures Seungmin has already sorted through and then drags his attention back to where Felix has joined Hyunjin and Jisung. 

He’s still too far away to hear what’s being said but the three of them laugh as Felix launches himself at Jisung, wrapping his arms around Jisung’s waist. Seungmin can’t help the smile that tugs at the corner of his lips. It’s nice, Seungmin thinks, the prospect that these guys could be new friends. 

A _tap-tap _on his thigh brings his attention back to Changbin and the camera. Changbin angles the screen a little so that Seungmin has a clearer view of the picture presented on it. It’s one of Jisung caught mid-trick, face screwed up in an expression that causes Changbin to laugh. 

“Please send this one to me,” Changbin says through giggles. “You have my number right?” 

“Yeah,” Seungmin replies. _ The one I’ve been too scared to use, _he thinks. 

“Changbin!” Felix’s voice cuts through their conversation. “Soccer practice is almost over. We gotta go.” 

“Yeah, okay!” Changbin calls back and then turns to Seungmin, face serious. “Send me that picture.” His face isn’t serious for long before he’s smiling and gathering up his things. He takes off after Felix, board under his arm and uniform shirt thrown haphazardly over his shoulder, keys jangling in his hand. “Bye, Seungmin!” 

\----------

“I’m so jealous,” Eric says, dropping his tray onto the table in front of him. “I haven’t been able to go to the skatepark in so long because of soccer.” 

Eric plops into his seat and pouts, blowing long, blond bangs out of his eyes. It doesn’t do much because of the way his cap is positioned on his head. Seungmin still isn’t sure how he gets away with wearing it indoors. 

“How much longer is the season?” Hyunjin asks. Even though Eric is in their chemistry class and they often sit together during lunch, Eric rarely talks about being on the soccer team so neither Hyunjin or Seungmin really have any idea about the schedule. 

“At least another month.” 

“Gross,” Seungmin chimes. 

“No, you know what’s gross?” Hyunjin points at Seungmin but looks at Eric. “I swear every time Seungmin goes with me, he and Changbin talk for like half the time we’re there.” 

Eric pauses, fork halfway to his mouth, and blinks between Hyunjin and Seungmin. He lets his fork fall back into a mass of food that is pretty much unidentifiable to Seungmin and groans. “God, soccer really needs to end soon. I have _ got _to see this.” 

“What? You say that like I _ only _talk to Changbin. I talk to Felix and Jisung, too.” Seungmin says. 

He’s been going with Hyunjin to the skatepark for three weeks and while he mainly talks to Changbin, that’s not really his fault. It’s not like he doesn’t make an effort to get close with the other two, because he definitely does, but it’s Changbin that comes to him. When he’s taking a break to go through pictures and adjust his camera settings, Changbin always comes and sits near him, begging to be allowed to go through the pictures as well. 

“Dude,” Eric starts, his food is completely forgotten at this point. He seems way too excited by the prospect of Seungmin actually making friends. “Changbin is like, obsessed with skating. It took forever to get him to take to Jisung and me.” 

“You know Changbin?” Seungmin asks. At this point, he thinks, he may as well assume that all the skater boys in town know each other. Though, in a town as small as theirs, it’s not unlikely. 

“Beside the point,” Hyunjin interjects. “_I _think you like him.” 

“I don’t!” Seungmin defends. “I barely even know him. He’s cute, but—” And that’s all Seungmin can say before Eric and Hyunjin are grabbing at each other’s arms and nodding. 

“But you think he’s cute!” Hyunjin practically yells. Seungmin kind of feels like ducking under the table to hide. 

“Shut up!” Seungmin hisses. “I think he’s cute but nothing is going to come out of it. Besides, he goes to an entirely different school and lives all the way across town. Kind of hard when I can’t drive.” 

“It’s really not that hard,” Eric says. Before he can elaborate though, the bell rings and they’re caught up in the tide of other seniors exiting the cafeteria. 

\----------

** From: Changbin  **

does anyone want to hang out? [6:34 PM] 

** From: Jisung  **

can’t. on a date [6: 35 PM] 

** From: Hyunjin  **

same :p [6:35 PM] 

** From: Felix  **

same [6:35 PM] 

Seungmin’s phone vibrates several times, creating an awful sound against the wood of the dining table. His mom looks at him curiously. “What’s all that about?” 

He scrolls through the notifications on his lockscreen. “Nothing. Just the guys I did my project with. They’re trying to make plans to meet up.” 

He doesn’t really know what he was expecting to happen after he turned in his project. He thinks maybe there was a part of him that expected things to revert to how they were before, with Seungmin and Hyunjin only hanging out to study and the other boys just being passing figures at the convenience store. Hyunjin has started coming over to study again, but in addition to that, Seungmin now has the numbers of everyone in their little group. The only problem is that he's regularly subject to their shenanigans or in this case, minor displays of affection. 

Jisung and Hyunjin got together so quietly that Seungmin honestly isn’t even sure when exactly they finally admitted their feelings for each other. They’re cute though, he thinks. Nothing seems to have changed between them, which he figures shouldn’t surprise him. They acted like they were dating long before they said anything. 

“Oh, are you going?” His mom asks, dragging his thoughts back to the consistent buzzing of his phone. He snatches it off the table to put it on silent. 

Even as he scrolls through the messages that he knows are meant to include him, he can’t help but feel a little distant. He supposes part of that is his fault, considering he’s declined any offers to hang out for the past week. It’s not that he doesn’t want to, he does, but without his camera and a purpose for being there, he can’t help but feel like an outsider. 

It’s a vicious cycle of feeling distant, isolating himself, and then feeling even more distant. 

“Probably not,” Seungmin replies. He scrolls through a number of texts of just Changbin whining. “I need to study.” 

His mom’s face falls. “Surely you can go without studying for one night.” She says and Seungmin almost laughs out loud. He’s definitely in an alternate universe right now. One where kids are encouraged to go out instead of studying. “I know you’re hesitant but it might be nice to have friends for your senior year.” 

“I have friends, mom.” Seungmin sighs. 

“Then hang out with them!” She pushes, but kindly. “Don’t think I haven’t noticed that you’ve been home all week.” 

As she’s saying this, Seungmin’s phone lights up in his hand again. Changbin’s name pops up on the screen with the message notification but there’s no group chat name below it. 

** From: Changbin  **

seungminnie :( hang out with me [6:45 PM] 

Seungmin rolls his eyes, used to how whiney Changbin is at this point, but the corners of his lips tilt up before he can stop them. There’s something about having Changbin ask him specifically to hang out. 

“Okay, I’ll go for a little bit,” Seungmin says, typing out something similar to send to Changbin. When he glances up from the screen, his mother looks way too pleased. 

He plans to meet Changbin at the convenience store since apparently Changbin is already there, most likely bothering Chan. Changbin does that a lot, Seungmin’s noticed. He makes sure to grab his camera before he leaves. Just because his project is done doesn’t mean that he has to stop taking pictures. He likes having them to look back on. 

It’s almost dark when Seungmin gets to the store, the sun setting earlier the later they get into the year. It’s chilly enough to warrant a jacket now, and Seungmin pulls his tight around him as he pushes open the store door with his shoulder. 

Changbin is leaning against the counter, back to the door, so Chan spots him first. It’s the perfect opportunity, Seungmin thinks since Changbin always seems to sneak up on him. He holds a finger to his lips for Chan to see and waits for Chan to go back to talking to Changbin before taking a step forward. 

He’s too far away to hear what Chan is saying, but Changbin is completely engrossed in it. It’s awfully cute, the way Changbin’s eyes light up and he responds animatedly. Seungmin almost curses himself when he realizes what he’s thinking. 

Ignoring the way his heart twists, Seungmin walks quietly into the store, around the back of where Changbin is standing and places his hands on the sides of Changbin’s waist where he knows Changbin is ticklish. “Hey, nerd.” 

Changbin jumps, his own hands folding over his torso and coming to rest right on Seungmin’s own, in a mix between trying to pry Seungmin’s hands off and keep them still at the same time. It doesn’t really work. 

Seungmin’s words get lost in both of their giggles and Seungmin repeats himself when Changbin spins in his grip, an amused look on his face. 

“Who are you calling nerd?” Changbin laughs. “Hyunjin told me you’ve been studying all week.” 

If Seungmin were a little more self-centered, he might take the pout on Changbin’s lips as a result of Changbin missing his company but that’s ridiculous. What’s also ridiculous, Seungmin realizes, is that his hands are still on Changbin’s waist. He quickly withdraws them, pulling them out from under Changbin’s own, and hopes the flush of his cheeks isn’t obvious. 

“You’re both nerds,” Chan says, causing them both to step apart and turn back towards the counter. To Seungmin Chan says, “He’s been whining about wanting to go to the skatepark all day. Good luck trying to get him to do anything else.” 

“I don’t mind going to the skatepark,” Seungmin says, shrugging. He kind of figured that was where they were going to end up anyway. 

“This is why I like him,” Changbin says, pointing at Seungmin but keeping his eyes trained on Chan. Seungmin is thankful that Changbin can’t see the blush that starts to creep across his cheeks. 

Seungmin learned pretty quickly that although Changbin can drive, he doesn’t particularly like to. Unless he’s ushering someone around, he almost always shows up with only his skateboard in tow. Which means they have to walk tonight. 

Changbin entertains himself for a little while; skating ahead and practicing a few tricks that Seungmin can barely follow with his eyes. It’s like watching Hyunjin dance, Seungmin realizes, in that it seems so effortlessly smooth. Like Changbin’s own form of dance that he’s created. 

Changbin gets bored eventually, tired of getting too far ahead and then having to circle back as he waits for Seungmin to catch up. 

“Let me teach you how to skateboard,” Changbin says, stopping in front of Seungmin and kicking his board up into his hand. 

Seungmin rolls his eyes and flips the top of his camera bag closed. He can’t figure out how to capture the weightlessness with which Changbin skates and the white of Changbin’s uniform shirt stands out too much with the flash now that it’s dark outside. Seungmin is starting to think he’s never going to see Changbin in anything but that uniform. The prep school switched to the winter uniforms recently but it’s practically the same for the boys. White button-up shirt and long pants in various colors. Changbin doesn’t seem to mind the lack of variety though, considering he never changes after school. 

“Seungmin?” 

Seungmin looks up, catching Changbin’s gaze. His nose is red from the cold since he isn’t wearing a jacket and Seungmin briefly considers offering Changbin his. “What?” 

“I _ said, _” Changbin says, smiling. “Let me teach you how to skateboard.”

“My balance is even worse than Hyunjin’s. There’s no way.” Seungmin laughs. Changbin has already started walking again and he has to jog a little to keep up. 

“It’d be fun then!” Changbin says and looks up over his shoulder, pouting. “And besides, whenever we go to the park as a group I get worried you’re _bored. _” 

It’s practically the bare minimum of a good friendship but Seungmin still feels his heart jump at the fact that Changbin worries about whether or not he’s having fun. “I’m not bored.” 

“Are you sure? I mean I feel bad because you’re always taking pictures of us and editing them and saying we can post them on our Instagrams and stuff. I swear to God, Felix gained like a hundred followers after he posted one of your pictures of him skating. And then, you didn’t show up for a week and I was worried you’d finally gotten bored of us—” 

"Changbin," Seungmin interrupts. He's trying to be serious but corners of his lips tilt up despite this. "Changbin, I like taking pictures of you all. I wouldn't hang out with you guys if I wasn't having fun."

Changbin stops rambling and almost stops walking too as he looks at Seungmin, pouting. Again. "_Seungminnie,_" He whines. "You'd tell me if you wanted to do something else, right?” 

“Yes,” Seungmin says, “But right now I want to go to the skatepark.” 

Changbin lights up, any anxiety now gone from his face and he picks up his pace again. They’re almost across town by now, and Seungmin realizes it’s easy to lose track of time when he’s talking to Changbin. They walk side by side for the rest of the way, a little too close even though the sidewalk is big enough for both of them. Occasionally, their knuckles will brush and Seungmin feels warm at the fact that Changbin never pulls away. 

Changbin takes off almost as soon as the skatepark comes into view and Seungmin follows slowly after him. Technically, the park is closed at this time but Changbin, at some point, figured out how to jiggle the gate just right to get it to unlock without ever needing to actually pick the lock. 

“Okay,” Changbin says, clapping his hands together once their inside. “New location! Half-pipe!” 

With Hyunjin still being mostly a beginner, they’ve stuck to some of the small elements in the park but tonight, Changbin leads Seungmin across the concrete. Changbin stands at the top of the half-pipe, looking over to where Seungmin is with his camera. “Jisung has been trying to land a new trick and I’ll be damned if he gets it before I do.” 

“That’s what he gets for going on a date instead of hanging out with you, right?” Seungmin says, positioning the viewfinder of his camera up to his eye. Through it, he can see Changbin balancing haphazardly on the edge of the pipe. 

“Exactly!” Changbin shouts and pushes himself off the edge. Seungmin snaps a picture. 

It takes a while for Changbin to get warmed up and Seungmin takes his time adjusting his camera settings to accommodate the weird lighting around them caused by the streetlights set up around the edge of the park. The flash pictures he’s taken so far actually look pretty cool but there are still a couple of problems with the coloring. Nothing he can’t fix later in Lightroom though. 

When Changbin moves onto actually trying the trick is when Seungmin gets his coolest pictures. In his opinion, anyway. Although it’s chilly outside, Changbin has unbuttoned his uniform shirt, exposing the short sleeve shirt underneath. He pushes off the top of the pipe, riding it down, and the air gets under his uniform shirt, causing it to flow behind him. That combined with the look of absolute determination on Changbin’s face remind Seungmin how just how intimidated he was by Changbin when they first met. 

It takes a long time for Changbin to practice the trick. Or rather, eventually give up on the trick. He takes a particularly nasty fall, sliding to the base of the half-pipe and staring up at the sky for a second too long. Seungmin almost drops his camera, hands shaking at the thought of being wholly unprepared to help an injured Changbin, but then he sits up and brushes off the knees of his pants. 

“Okay, _ ow,” _Changbin says. He stands up and shakes out his limbs, as if he’s checking to see if anything is broken. Seungmin doesn’t see any oddly hanging joints so he thinks Changbin is okay but he still watches anxiously. 

“Don’t you think this is kind of dangerous?” Seungmin asks as Changbin pads over. Changbin joins him sitting on the concrete like they would do when Seungmin was still working on his project. 

Changbin leans over and lets himself fall sideways, head landing in Seungmin’s lap and he looks up at Seungmin with tired, half-lidded eyes. “Maybe, but it’s fun. I wish I could just skate forever.” 

Seungmin raises an eyebrow, feeling like Changbin’s statement might be a little deeper than it seems on the surface. He hums a little in hopes that it’ll prompt Changbin to keep going and it works. 

“I think my parents think skating is dumb. They want me to go to school for engineering. Not that I would like, go to school specifically for skateboarding or drop out and go pro or anything, but something like sports analysis would be cool. I like math and statistics.” 

Seungmin places his camera off to the side and lets one of his hands brush Changbin’s hair away from his forehead. Changbin’s eyes flutter shut as Seungmin scrambles for something to say. He finally settles on something with really no significance but he still wants Changbin to know he’s listening. “Is there a market for sports analysts in skateboarding?” 

“Yeah,” Changbin says, almost a whisper. 

Seungmin’s mom has never been anything but supportive of him pursuing photography but his chest aches at the thought of being denied of doing something that he loves. “Have you talked to them about it? I’m sure they’d want you to be happy.” 

“We fought about it earlier. That’s why I wanted to hang out so I could get out of the house.”

“Oh.” 

“Chan thinks I should just say fuck it and apply for whatever major I want but like, they’re my parents, you know? I don’t wanna disappoint them.” 

And that’s something Seungmin understands. He remembers how scared he was to tell his mom that he wanted to pursue photography as a whole career. Scared that she would be disappointed in him for not doing something else. “I don’t think they’d be disappointed in you. Maybe they wouldn’t understand it at first, but ultimately it’s your life and you should do what’s going to make you happy.” 

“Yeah,” Changbin says. He’s quiet for a little bit, as if contemplating what Seungmin said. Then, he sits up from Seungmin’s lap. “Sorry for dumping all that on you.”

“It’s okay,” Seungmin says softly. He hesitates for a second, watching as Changbin stands up and dusts off his pants. “You know, you can always talk to me, right?” 

Changbin smiles down at him with that slow, crooked smile that Seungmin was so fond of the first time they met. “I know.” 

“I’m going to try that trick again. I feel like I can land it now,” he continues. He offers a hand to Seungmin and easily pulls Seungmin to his feet. 

Seungmin scoops up his camera as Changbin goes to grab his board from where he left it sitting in the middle of the pipe. He climbs to the top and gives Seungmin a blinding smile and a thumbs up. Seungmin adjusts his camera, bringing the viewfinder up to one eye with one hand and gives Changbin a thumbs-up back with the other. 

There’s a little bit of build-up, as Changbin has to go back and forth a couple of times to gain momentum. He does a few simple tricks, ones that he knows he can land, to help himself get back some of the confidence he lost when he fell. 

Seungmin doesn’t know how but he can tell when Changbin is about to attempt the new trick. Maybe just from watching Changbin attempt it so many times before. Either way, his breath hitches and he has a death grip on his camera, but he’s still taking pictures in hopes that maybe he’ll be able to catch the landing. 

He holds his breath as Changbin flies up the side of the pipe, board spinning under his feet, and finally, finally releases it as Changbin lands, both feet solidly on the board. 

Changbin barely makes it to the other side of the half-pipe before he’s stumbling off his board and turning towards Seungmin, eyes wide. His smile is almost blinding and Seungmin continues to take pictures as Changbin runs over, right up until he's too close to photograph. The look of absolute joy and shock on his face is something that Seungmin wants to remember forever. 

"Did you see that?!" Changbin practically shouts. He stops just in front of Seungmin, waiting for Seungmin's answer. 

"I did," Seungmin laughs. "It was really cool." 

"Hey! Don't tease me." Changbin tries to fake a pout but he's smiling too hard to make it believable. 

"I'm not teasing you!" Seungmin protests. "I said you were cool on the first day I came out here with Hyunjin, right?" 

"Yeah, but you were teasing then!" 

Seungmin laughs again. "Maybe so." 

"You're the worst," Changbin says. He almost cuts himself off with a yawn. "Okay, now that I have something to rub in Jisung's face, I'm tired." 

Changbin refuses to let Seungmin walk home alone, even though they're closer to Changbin's side of town and he'll have to make the walk twice. He says he'll just walk home with Chan after his shift ends but Seungmin wonders just how much of that is true. 

The walk back is quicker, neither of them having much to say to slow the walk. The silence isn't awkward though, and Seungmin smiles softly at the way their knuckles still brush against one another's every so often just like before. 

They loiter at the bottom of the steps to Seungmin's house, not quite knowing how to say goodbye. Finally, Changbin says, "Goodnight, Seungmin." 

"Goodnight. I'll send you those pictures!" 

He's got one foot on the first stair when he feels Changbin's hand briefly touch his upper arm. Looking over his shoulder, he finds Changbin's eyes cast off to the side and teeth worrying at his bottom lip. 

"Thank you," Changbin says and Seungmin is sure he means for more than just the pictures.

\----------

At some point after that night at the skatepark, sneaking in after dark with Changbin becomes a regular thing. Sometimes Jisung or Felix will join them, but the most part it’s only ever Seungmin and Changbin. Surprisingly, it’s never awkward between the two of them, like they’ve been friends for much longer than a month and a half. What catches Seungmin off guard the most though, is how eager Changbin is to hang out with him. He never has to ask if they’re going to do something because chances are Changbin already has. 

** From: Changbin  **

are we going to the skatepark tomorrow night? [11:23 pm]

Seungmin smiles when he sees the notification pop up on his screen, accompanied by the soft text tone he set for Changbin a couple of days ago. He pushes his calculus book to the side and picks up his phone, swiping across to the weather app. He swears he saw something about rain on the forecast that morning and sure enough, there’s a little rain cloud on every time of the day for tomorrow. 

** From: Seungmin  **

it’s supposed to rain all day :/ [11:25 pm] 

** From: Changbin  **

:( [11:25 pm]

lame [11:25 pm]

haven’t you been walking to school? You’re going to get wet. [11:26 pm] 

** From: Seungmin  **

it’s called an umbrella dumbass :p [11:27 pm]

** From: Changbin  **

so mean [11:27 pm] 

and to think i was going to offer to drive you home [11:27 pm] 

now you will just be sick over break bc you walked home in the rain! [11:28 pm] 

** From: Seungmin  **

i literally live all the way across town from you. i will be fine. [11:30 pm]

Seungmin watches the three dots at the bottom of the screen disappear and reappear multiple times, as if Changbin is trying to decide what to say. 

** From: Changbin **

prep has the day off tomorrow anyway and i’ll bring you coffee [11:32 pm] 

Seungmin rolls his eyes, knowing that he’s not going to be able to change Changbin’s mind. On one hand, he’s flattered by the fact that Changbin even thought about coming to pick him up. On the other though, he’d hate for Changbin to drive all the way across town just for him _ and _buy him coffee. 

Even with Seungmin texting Changbin the next morning, telling him that he really doesn’t have to pick Seungmin up, Changbin is still standing in the student parking lot the next afternoon. He’s leaning up against a small white car when Seungmin spots him through the horde of students leaving for Thanksgiving break, coffee in one hand and umbrella in the other. 

Seungmin jogs quickly across the lot, head down to keep the rain off his glasses. He looks up again just in time to keep from running into Changbin and finds Changbin smiling up at him. Changbin lifts the umbrella a little higher, giving Seungmin room to slide under it. 

“Hi,” Changbin breathes, white air filling the space between them. He’s got a black beanie pulled low, pushing his bangs into his eyes and Seungmin resists the urge to move them away. Instead, he takes a moment to admire Changbin’s outfit which isn’t his school uniform for once. Black beanie, large fluffy black coat, Adidas pants, and the only pop of color in his entire outfit: a pair of dull yellow Converse. It’s so simple and yet Changbin somehow makes it look _ good. _

Seungmin isn’t the only one that’s seemed to notice. There are several other students who have slowed their pace even in the rain to steal glances at Changbin. A few guys even call out and wave and Changbin waves back. “You’re awfully popular for someone who doesn’t even go here,” Seungmin laughs. 

“Can you blame them?” Changbin asks, wiggling his eyebrows. Seungmin can’t. “Anyway, let’s get out of here.” He hands Seungmin the coffee in his hand and shakes out the umbrella before tossing it into the backseat of his car. 

The drive to Seungmin’s house is short and he finds himself inviting Changbin inside. His room is mostly clean and his mom is definitely still at work, so why not. It isn’t until they’re at the top of the stairs that Seungmin remembers his photo wall but there’s nothing he can do as he pushes open the door to his room. 

The wall isn’t immediately visible, thank God, but it doesn’t take Changbin long to spot it. “Did you take all these?” He asks, running his finger along the string used to hang some of the polaroids. 

“For the most part, yeah,” Seungmin says. “There are a few that my friends from my old town took.” 

Changbin squats down near the end of the row, where the most recent pictures are posted and Seungmin can already feel heat rise up the back of his neck. 

“Oh my God,” Changbin whines, “I can’t believe you kept those.” 

Seungmin leans down, arms resting on Changbin’s shoulders, to see what particular pictures Changbin is pointing to. There’s two of them, from the night they first went to the skatepark together. Changbin is laughing in them, smiling from ear to ear after just landing the trick he had been working so hard on. 

“Of course I did,” Seungmin says before he can stop himself. Changbin tilts his head to the side and up, glancing at Seungmin. “You look cute in them.” He hopes he’s able to keep his voice steady but knows he’s failed. 

“Cute, huh?” Changbin says, teasing, but Seungmin can see the blush spreading across his cheeks. Changbin stands up, pushing Seungmin’s arms off his shoulders but the loss of contact isn’t for long as he loops his arms around Seungmin’s waist, forcing Seungmin to loops his own around Changbin’s neck. “You’re not so bad yourself.” 

Seungmin doesn’t really know how to respond. He’s pretty sure both his heart and his brain have shut down, rendering him completely flustered. Changbin laughs, obviously amused and slides one of his hands to cup Seungmin’s waist. “Can I kiss you?” 

Changbin is looking at him with questioning eyes and is worrying his bottom lip with his teeth, as if he’s wondering if he’s crossing a line. It isn’t as if they haven’t flirted with each other before, they definitely have, but this is territory neither of them has ever stepped foot in. Seungmin knows he’s been denying his own feelings but he hadn’t realized Changbin had felt the same way the entire time. Or at least he really hopes that’s what this means. 

Seungmin remembers exactly what Changbin just asked him and nods. Changbin leans up and Seungmin lets his eyes flutter shut, thinking that if he watches Changbin any long he’ll chicken out. When their lips finally meet, Seungmin relaxes and lets Changbin lead. There’s the faint taste of coffee still on Changbin’s lips and Seungmin finds himself quite literally smiling into the kiss. 

When they finally separate, Seungmin rests his forehead against Changbin’s and takes a second to catch his breath. 

“Okay?” Changbin asks and Seungmin lifts his head but doesn’t remove his arms from where they still sit looped around Changbin’s neck. 

“Have you always been this perfect?” 

“Hm, yes. I believe that’s why you fell for me, is it not?” 

They don’t worry with a big announcement, instead, Changbin just sends a blurry picture of them holding hands to the group chat. While their friends lose their shit, the two of them sprawl out on Seungmin’s bed. Changbin’s head against Seungmin’s stomach. 

“Are you going out of town for Thanksgiving?” He doesn’t look up from his phone, but he does move his head a little to get Seungmin’s attention, like a cat. 

“No, it’s just my mom and me so we were going to go to a restaurant like we usually do.” 

“That’s it?” 

Seungmin laughs. “Yes, that’s it. My mom spent a lot of her childhood in Korea and then when she moved here with my grandparents, they never celebrated it. We go back for Chuseok sometimes but—“ He cuts himself off before he gives Changbin his whole life story. He’s never particularly cared much about Thanksgiving other than the fact that he gets out of school for it and his mom gets time off work. “Why are you asking?” 

Changbin rolls over, accidentally digging his chin into Seungmin’s stomach and apologizes quickly. Then says, “You guys should come over to my house. We started having a big dinner on Thanksgiving with Jisung and Felix’s families a couple of years ago. Our own version of the tradition. It’ll be fun, I promise.” 

“We’ve been dating for three hours and you already want me to meet your parents?” Seungmin grins knowing that isn’t what Changbin means by this but he can’t help but tease. 

“It doesn’t have to be in a _ hey, meet my boyfriend _way! I just don’t want you guys to be alone.” Changbin pouts. “I think holidays are best spent with people you care about, you know?” 

Seungmin pushes Changbin’s hair off his forehead and places a kiss there. “You’re a sap.” 

“Does that mean you’ll come?” 

“I’ll have to ask, but I’m sure I could convince my mom.”

\----------

  
When his mom parks their car in the Seo family’s driveway, Seungmin is almost positive he can’t feel his hands. He’s hyper-aware of his heartbeat and it’s the only thing he can focus on as he tries to keep it from bursting out of his chest. Logically, he shouldn’t be this nervous. Changbin swears up and down that his parents and sister are going to like him but there’s still that whisper in the back of his mind that he won’t be good enough. 

Before the front door even opens, Seungmin can hear the low buzz of conversation and it helps to know that they aren’t the first ones there. Changbin opens the door, smiling, and bows slightly to Seungmin’s mom. Seungmin can’t remember a time where he’s ever seen Changbin act so formal and it makes his heart flip. He’s really trying to make a good impression, Seungmin thinks. 

Changbin offers a hand and Seungmin finds that with one swipe of Changbin’s thumb across his knuckles, his heart slows enough for him to squeeze Changbin’s hand in response. 

Surprisingly, it isn’t Jisung or Felix’s families that Seungmin meets first, but rather Changbin’s neighbors, Minho and Jeongin. They’re nice and go to Nation Prep as well and that’s about all Seungmin gets out of their conversation before the front door is opening again. Jisung comes barreling in with his parents and Hyunjin closely behind.

“It’s so nice to finally meet you,” Jisung’s father says as Seungmin shakes his hand.

“Changbin has mentioned you many times when he’s been over,” Jisung’s mom chimes in.

Beside him, Changbin laughs awkwardly and Seungmin feels heat rise in his own face. He’s pretty sure he wasn’t supposed to know that.

“Where are your parents, dear?”

“In the kitchen, ma’am,” Changbin responds and just like that the living is once again territory of the boys.

Hyunjin is introduced to Minho and Jeongin as the six of them take up seats on the couch and loveseat. Changbin curls into Seungmin’s side almost immediately and they watch as Jisung does the same to Hyunjin.

“Innie,” Minho declares as he watches this unfold, “remind me to ask Woojin out next time I see him. I cannot let Jisung and Changbin outdo me like this.”

“That’s not a valid reason to ask someone out!” Jeongin responds, eliciting a laugh from everyone else. “Just say you actually like him and don’t know how to process emotions, dumbass.”

Seungmin relaxes into the chatter of his friends, new and old, and feels more and more at home with Changbin in his arms. That is until his mom peeks her head through the door and says, “It’s time to eat.” He’s managed to avoid the kitchen and thus Changbin’s family until now, despite being literally in their house, but now he’s going to have to finally allow Changbin to introduce them.

It feels just about as awkward as Seungmin had expected it to, but Changbin hadn’t been wrong about his parents and sister being welcoming. He can tell where Changbin gets his kindness and humor from. They ask him about his photography, going as far as to compliment him on the pictures Changbin has shown them.

“I hope he doesn’t bore you with talk about skateboarding,” Changbin’s sister says.

“Not at all. He’s passionate about it so I like hearing him talk about it.”

Jisung and Hyunjin pretend to make gagging noises from where they’re helping to carry dishes to the table and Changbin rolls his eyes where Seungmin can see. Changbin’s mother, on the other hand, smiles fondly and says, “He is passionate about it, isn’t he?” Seungmin nods and squeezes Changbin’s hand, hoping it means what he thinks it does.

Felix and his family aren’t coming until later, Seungmin learns, which might be a good thing as the dining table is just barely big enough for everyone already there. Any air of awkwardness fades as they begin to eat, and the parents begin to swap embarrassing stories of their kids. Seungmin’s mom tells everyone about the time he won an award for photography in middle school only for the school to project the wrong image—one of him in a Spiderman onesie instead of the portrait it was supposed to be—in front of the entire school. In turn, Changbin’s parents tell them of the time in elementary school when he was so excited for Christmas day, he ended up slipping down the carpeted stairs and riding them down on his butt.

The boys retreat into the living room eventually, leaving the parents to talk. The doorbell rings halfway through Jisung interrogating Minho about his crush on Woojin, who Seungmin remembers finally is the other convenience store clerk. Changbin detaches himself from Seungmin’s side to open it, revealing Felix standing hand in hand with Eric. It takes a moment of Seungmin and Hyunjin sharing a look before things click into place and Hyunjin is jumping up from the couch so fast he stumbles over his own two feet.

“You’re Felix’s boyfriend?!” Hyunjin practically shouts at the same time Seungmin says, “You’re dating Eric?”

Eric, in his usual fashion, shouts right back at Hyunjin, “I thought you knew!” 

In the chaos, Changbin moves back to Seungmin’s side and wraps an arm around his waist. “Come here.” 

They end up in Changbin’s room upstairs and Seungmin thinks that if he could be any more fond of Changbin this would be why. Changbin’s got several skateboards hung on the wall and Seungmin traces a finger across the lowest board, smiling at just how cliche it is. Somehow, Changbin’s room is almost exactly how Seungmin had expected it to be. 

“What’s this about?” Seungmin asks sitting on the edge of Changbin’s bed.  
  
Changbin shrugs. “You showed me your room. And,” He moves to stand in front of Seungmin. “I wanted to do this.” He kisses Seungmin, softly, and Seungmin is reminded of just how comfortable he is with Changbin. 

Seungmin giggles when they finally part. “I see.” 

“Hey, nerd.” 

Seungmin hums. “Yeah?” 

“Nice eyes.” 

“You’re so lame,” Seungmin says and kisses him again.

**Author's Note:**

> so that's that! sorry the ending is a little rushed. as always comments and kudos are always appreciated. 
> 
> ps. is sports analysis a real thing? yes. is it for skateboarding? i have no idea but we're just gonna roll with it.


End file.
